In days gone past, English lovers would merrily go a-Maying into the springtime forest on May Day.

I bought some vintage postcards recently and discovered within them some clippings from magazines, calendars and the like. The woman collecting them must have deemed May just too sweet a month to toss, after the expiration of the calendar ....

Vintage Calendar, Month of May

Here it is, subtly carrying on the tradition of the likely much more sensual predecessor of "Maying", in this lovely refined version, with a sweet lady searching for her fellow and a courting couple ... who have already found each other.

​What a beautiful painting of Queen Victoria. So unlike the photos of her of which most of us are acquainted! But an artist has the option to highlight, or even exaggerate, the beauty he or she sees in a subject ... and downplay any perceived flaws, making, in some ways, a much more "true" representation of a person. A photograph only captures a fraction of a second of a person's life ... but a painting, created over several days, weeks or months, can capture the divinity inherent in all nature.

This painting is called "the secret picture". It was commissioned by Queen Victoria and presented to her husband, Prince Albert, as a surprise for his 24th birthday - for his eyes only. It was an unusual painting of Royalty at the time, both for its lack of focus on exuberant costume and finery, and also for its sensuality.

The glass heart-shaped locket the Queen is wearing is thought to be the pendant containing a lock of Prince Albert's hair, and which the Queen wore day and night before their marriage. Since this picture was meant for her husband's eyes only - it would certainly have signalled her utter devotion to him. Prince Albert so loved this painting that it was hung in his Writing Room in Windsor.

There's great magic on the 1st of May or May Day. The ancient Celtic people divided the year into two seasons - Winter and Summer. May 1st was the dividing point and signaled the change from the end of Winter to the beginning of Summer. Great relief, great joy and great excitement that the warmer weather was officially here to stay for a whole season. No wonder they had a celebration!

To share in some of this magic, you need to wake early enough to catch some of the dew on the morn of May 1st ... and lovingly smooth it across your face. I can attest to the truth that this beauty treatment is particularly refreshing!

No hawthorn tree? No worries. An alternate verse allows you to use dew drops from any tree, bush or even the grass.

​Disclaimer: Many of my items are vintage. Please be aware that vintage items will vary with the manufacturing methods available at the time of their production. They are not made at the current standards of manufacturing ... and in my opinion, that is a good thing! They are generally an exceedingly higher quality than today's manufactured items, last much longer and have more attention to detail. However, items do also deteriorate with age and it is up to the customer to decide how they will use each product.